For most people in America, when they hear CSI, the award-winning CBS crime drama comes to mind. However, for some, CSI stands for the College of Staten Island, a City University of New York (CUNY) affiliate located on New York’s fifth borough. The school has 13,000 students, one of whom is T.J. Tibbs, almost the NBA Draft’s most unlikely participant.
Tibbs is a junior at CSI via Monmouth University and Wagner College. Despite trying to walk on, he never played basketball at Monmouth, and ran track at Wagner before settling into his role as the starting point guard for the Dolphins. The Dolphins are not a mid-major or low-major program, but actually a Division III team that competes in the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC). This past year, Tibbs averaged 15.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 36.2 minutes per game before declaring for the NBA Draft. Yes, you read that right, the point guard of a Division III basketball program almost left his last year of college eligibility on the table hoping to enter the NBA. Tibbs must be crazy, right?
“A lot of people were surprised when I declared for the NBA Draft, and asked why I would do that and if it was some type of joke, and I don’t blame them for that,” says Tibbs. “But for my close friends and family, the decision wasn’t much of a shock for them because they know how ambitious I am and how much I want to do this.”
Ambitious would be a good word to describe Tibbs. Not many people would have the guts or determination to try and go from D-III basketball to the NBA, but Tibbs has always wanted to compete at the highest level, and he’s not going to stop now because some people say he’s too small (5-10) or didn’t play against good competition – a fact Tibbs disputes.
“People tremendously underestimate the level of competition at the Division III level,” says Tibbs. “The one thing D-III lacks I would say is skilled big men who are not undersized, but other than that the competition is immense. I played at Monmouth (a D-I program) and the guards I compete against here are just as talented as the ones I played against there.”
While many NBA teams may not look into Tibbs because they see “College of Staten Island” next to his name and not “Duke” or “North Carolina,” some teams have already contacted him and his coach Tony Petosa. The Spurs – somehow I’m not surprised they were the team to do this – contacted Petosa asking for some of Tibbs’ game tape, and T.J. has spoken with the Suns and Mavericks personally. While Tibbs recently notified the NBA that he wishes to be removed from the list of early entry players eligible for selection in the 2011 NBA Draft, he has described getting feedback from those involved with the NBA as just what he needs to get better.
“Part of declaring for the draft initially was my desire to get feedback on my game from those at the highest level of basketball,” says Tibbs. “Everything I heard (before the deadline to withdraw) was really good, so I decided to further test the process. And having these guys evaluate my game is a really big opportunity for me.”
Not only did Tibbs use the process to gain feedback from NBA teams, but he is working hard to improve his game. He doesn’t just want to hear what the NBA has to say about his game, he wants to internalize that focus and use it to get better. His focus since CSI’s season ended has been on improving his speed and conditioning. He says he has done more running in the past month than he ever has before, and lifts weights five times a week. He also tries to get as many shots up per day as possible, and can frequently be found tweeting, asking for someone to run with him or shoot with him. While Tibbs has the mindset and work ethic to reach the next level, he was realistic throughout the entire process.
“I’m not trying to prove a point, set any records, or make this a joke,” says Tibbs. “What I really want to do with this whole thing is prove that not only I can play, but show people what CSI and Division III basketball is about. I want to show people that if you can play, you can play – it doesn’t matter how tall you are or where you played college ball. I want to look back and say I gave this my best shot.”
So while he won’t be entering the draft this June, NBA teams would be wise not to overlook the “small” point guard from the “small-time” program because one day, through hard work and determination, he just might overcome those stigmas and be able to say he made it to basketball’s Promised Land: the NBA.
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